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Teaching Awards

  • Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching
  • Provost’s Award for Distinguished PhD Teaching and Mentoring
  • Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence by Non-Standing Faculty

Get information on faculty teaching awards.

The Provost’s Office sponsors one university-wide teaching award for graduate students:
  • Penn Prize or Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students

Get information on graduate student teaching awards.

Faculty Teaching Awards

Any member of the University community, past or present, may nominate a faculty member for these awards.

Nominations and Deadlines for faculty awards

Nominations are due no later than 5pm on the first Friday in December.

Online Nomination Form

Dossiers are due no later than 5pm on the first Friday in February.

Online Dossier Submission Form

Eligibility

Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching

Awarded to up to eight members of the Standing Faculty each year: up to four in the non-health schools (Annenberg, Design, Engineering and Applied Science, GSE, Law, SAS, Social Policy & Practice, Wharton) and up to four in the health schools (Dental Medicine, Medicine, Nursing, Veterinary Medicine). 

Provost’s Award for Distinguished PhD Teaching and Mentoring

Awarded to two members of the Standing or Associated Faculty for distinguished teaching and mentoring of PhD students. Members of the Standing and Associated Faculty in any school offering the PhD are eligible for the award.

Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence by Non-Standing Faculty

Awarded to two members of the Associated Faculty or academic support staff who teach at Penn, one in the non-health schools (Annenberg, Design, Engineering and Applied Science, GSE, Law, SAS, Social Policy & Practice, Wharton) and one in the health schools (Dental Medicine, Medicine, Nursing, Veterinary Medicine). 

There is a reception each spring honoring all the teaching award winners.

For more information, e-mail provost-ed@upenn.edu or call 215.898.7225.

Learn more about previous winners of the Lindback Awards and the Provost’s Awards.  

Guidelines

1.  The Lindback and Provost’s Awards are given in recognition of distinguished teaching. “Distinguished teaching” is teaching that is intellectually demanding, unusually coherent, and permanent in its effect. The distinguished teacher has the capability of changing the way in which students view the subject they are studying. The distinguished teacher provides the basis for students to look with critical and informed perception at the fundamentals of a discipline and relates that discipline to other disciplines and to the worldview of the student. The distinguished teacher is accessible to students and open to new ideas but also expresses their own views with articulate and informed understanding of an academic field. The distinguished teacher is fair, free from prejudice, and single-minded in the pursuit of truth.

2.  Skillful direction of dissertation students, effective supervision of student researchers, ability to organize a large course of many sections, skill in leading seminars, special talent with large classes, ability to handle discussions or structure lectures—these are all attributes of distinguished teaching, although it is unlikely that anyone will excel in all of them. At the same time, distinguished teaching means different things in different fields. While distinguished teachers should be versatile, as much at home in large groups as in small, in beginning classes as in advanced, they may have skills of special importance in areas of specialization. The primary criteria for the Provost’s Award for Distinguished PhD Teaching and Mentoring are a record of successful doctoral student mentoring and placement, success in collaborating on doctoral committees and graduate groups, and distinguished research.

3.  Since distinguished teaching is recognized and recorded in different ways, evaluation must also take several forms. It is not enough to look solely at letters of recommendation from students or to consider “objective” evaluations of particular classes in tabulated form. A faculty member’s influence extends beyond the classroom and individual classes. Nor is it enough to look only at a candidate’s most recent semester or opinions expressed immediately after a course is over; the influence of the best teachers lasts, while that of others may be great at first but lessen over time. It is not enough merely to gauge student adulation, for its basis is superficial; but neither should such feelings be discounted as unworthy of investigation. Rather, all of these factors and more should enter into the identification and assessment of distinguished teaching.

4.  The Lindback and Provost’s Awards have a symbolic importance that transcends the recognition of individual merit. They should be used to advance effective teaching by serving as reminders to the University community of the expectations for the quality of its mission.

5.  Distinguished teaching occurs in all parts of the University. Therefore, faculty members from all schools are eligible for consideration. An excellent teacher who does not receive an award in a given year may be re-nominated in some future year and receive the award then.

6.  The Lindback and Provost’s Awards may recognize faculty members with many years of distinguished service or many years of service remaining. The teaching activities for which the awards are granted must be components of the degree programs of the University of Pennsylvania.

7.  A faculty member may not be considered for a teaching award in a terminal year or the year of being considered for tenure.

2024 Award Recipients
  • Julie B. Engiles, Professor of Anatomic Pathology, Departments of Pathobiology & Clinical Studies, New Bolton Center, School of Veterinary Medicine
  • John H. Holmes, Professor of Medical Informatics in Epidemiology, Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine
  • Sara F. Jacoby, Associate Professor, Calvin Bland Faculty Fellow, Department of Family and Community Health, School of Nursing
  • Ilene M. Rosen, Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Sleep Medicine, Vice Chair for Education, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine
  • Gary Bernstein, Reese W. Flower Professor of Physics & Astronomy, Department of Physics & Astronomy, School of Arts & Sciences
  • Catherine T. Struve, David E. Kaufman & Leopold C. Glass Professor of Law, Penn Carey Law School
  • Jules H. van Binsbergen, Nippon Life Professor in Finance, Wharton School
  • David Wallace, Judith Rodin Professor of English & Comparative Literature, Department of    English, School of Arts & Sciences
  • Holly Pittman, Bok Family Professor in the Humanities, Department of History of Art, School of Arts & Sciences
  • Arjun Yodh, James M. Skinner Professor of Science and Chair, Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Arts & Sciences
  • Judith N. Currano, Head, Chemistry Library, Department of Chemistry, School of Arts & Sciences
  • Nancy Gartland, Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine
2023 Award Recipients
  • Margret Casal, Professor of Medical Genetics, Reproduction, and Pediatrics, School of Veterinary Medicine
  • Peggy Compton, Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing
  • Victor A. Ferrari, Professor of Medicine, School of Medicine
  • Tejvir S. Khurana, Professor of Physiology and member of Pennsylvania Muscle Institute, Perelman School of Medicine
  • Susan B. Davidson, Weiss Professor of Computer and Information Science, School of Engineering & Applied Science
  • Adam Grant, Saul P. Steinberg Professor of Management and Professor of Psychology, Wharton School
  • E. James Petersson, Professor of Chemistry, School of Arts & Sciences
  • Evelyn Thomson, Professor of Physics & Astronomy, School of Arts & Sciences
  • Marisa Kozłowski, Professor of Chemistry, School of Arts & Sciences
  • Paul K. Saint-AmourWalter H. and Leonore C. Annenberg Professor in the Humanities and Professor of English, School of Arts & Sciences
  • LeAnn DourtePractice Associate Professor, Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering & Applied Science
  • Loretta A. Sernekos, Advanced Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing
2022 Award Recipients
  • Bart C. De Jonghe, Associate Professor of Nutrition Science, School of Nursing
  • Minghong Ma, Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine 
  • Joseph W. St. Geme, III, Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine; Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Physician-in-Chief, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia 
  • Susan C. Taylor, Bernett L. Johnson Professor; Director, Skin of Color Research Fellowship; Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Department of Dermatology, Perelman School of Medicine 
  • Jill E. Fisch, Saul A. Fox Distinguished Professor of Business Law; Co-Director, Institute for Law and Economics, Carey Law School 
  • Boon Thau Loo, RCA Professor, Department of Computer and Information Science; Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, School of Engineering and Applied Science 
  • Katherine L. Milkman, James G. Dinan Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions, Wharton School 
  • Amish Patel, Associate Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science 
  • Itay Goldstein, Joel S. Ehrenkranz Family Professor; Professor of Finance, Wharton School; Professor of Economics (secondary), School of Arts & Sciences
  • David Kazanjian, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, School of Arts & Sciences
  • Nadia L. Bennett, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine; Associate Dean, UME Clinical and Health Systems Sciences Curriculum, Department of Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine 
  • Sarah Pierce, Esq., Denise A. Rotko Associate Dean for Legal Practice Skills; Academic Director, Capstone Program, Carey JD/MBA Program, Carey Law School
2021 Award Recipients
  • Amy C. Durham, Diplomate ACVP, Associate Professor of Anatomic Pathology, Penn Vet
  • Angela M. Ellison, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine
  • Helen E. Giannakopoulos, Associate Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Penn Dental
  • Salimah H. Meghani, Professor of Nursing and Term Chair of Palliative Care; Associate Director of the New Courtland Center for Transitions and Health, Penn Nursing
  • Peter Fader, Frances and Pei-Yuan Chia Professor of Marketing, Wharton
  • David F. Meaney, Solomon R. Pollack Professor of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science
  • Melissa E. Sanchez, Donald T. Regan Professor of English and Comparative Literature and core faculty of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies, School of Arts and Sciences
  • Kevin T. Turner, Professor and Chair of Mechanical Engineering and Applied mechanics, School of Engineering and Applied Science
  • Chenoa Flippen, Associate Professor of Sociology, School of Arts and Sciences
  • Randall Kamien, Vicki and William Abrams Professor in the Natural Sciences and Professor of Physics and Astronomy, School of Arts & Sciences. Photo courtesy of the Archives of the Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach.
  • Keith W. Hamilton, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases; Director of Undergraduate Medical Education, Department of Medicine; Co-Director of Internal Medicine Clerkship, Perelman School of Medicine; Director of Antimicrobial Stewardship, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
  • Asuka Nakahara, Practice Professor of Real Estate and Associate Director of the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center, Wharton School
2020 Award Recipients
  • Mark Devlin, Reese W. Flower Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics and Professor of Physics & Astronomy, SAS
  • Linh Thi Xuan Phan, Associate Professor of Computer and Information Science, SEAS
  • Diana C. Robertson, Samuel A. Blank Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics, Vice Dean and Director, Wharton Undergraduate Division
  • Lisa Mitchell, Associate Professor of South Asia Studies, SAS
  • Autumn Fiester, Associate Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at HUP, PSOM
  • David Galligan, Professor of Animal Health Economics, Marilyn M. Simpson Endowed Professorship, Penn Vet
  • Joseph Libonati, Associate Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing
  • Judy Shea, Professor of General Internal Medicine, PSOM
  • Eric Bradlow, K.P. Chao Professor of Marketing, Statistics, Economics, and Education, Chairperson Department of Marketing, Vice-Dean of Analytics, Wharton
  • Annette Lareau, Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Endowed Term Professor in the Social Sciences, Department of Sociology, SAS
  • Bill Ashmanskas, Senior Lecturer in Physics, SAS
  • Joy Bockstein Abt, Clinical Associate Professor of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine
2019 Award Recipients
  • Jennifer L. Blouin, Professor of Accounting, The Wharton School
  • Andreas Haeberlen, Associate Professor of Computer and Information Science, School of Engineering and Applied Science
  • Justin Khoury, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, School of Arts & Sciences
  • Sheila Murnaghan, Alfred Reginald Allen Memorial Professor of Greek, School of Arts & Sciences
  • Stephen J. Gluckman, Professor of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine
  • Rebecka S. Hess, Professor of Internal Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine
  • Daniel S. Kessler, Associate Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine
  • Lisa M. Lewis, Associate Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing
  • Linda H. Aiken, The Claire M. Fagin Leadership Professor of Nursing and Professor of Sociology, School of Nursing
  • Nancy S. Steinhardt, Professor of East Asian Studies, School of Arts & Sciences
  • Christian Murphy, Associate Professor of Practice, Computer and Information Science, School of Engineering and Applied Science
  • Jeanine C. Ronan, Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine
2018 Award Recipients
  • Paulo Arratia, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics and MEAM Associate Chair, Undergraduate Affairs, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, SEAS
  • Rita Copeland, Sheli Z. and Burton X. Rosenburg Professor of the Humanities, Professor of Classical Studies, English and Comparative Literature, SAS
  • Nicolaj Siggelkow, David M. Knott Professor, Professor of Management, Wharton
  • Steve Zdancewic, Professor of Computer and Information Science, SEAS
  • Faizan Alawi, Associate Professor of Pathology; Associate Dean, Academic Affairs; Director, Penn Oral Pathology Services, School of Dental Medicine
  • Robert Doms, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine; Pathologist-in-Chief at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, PSOM
  • Ronald Harty, Professor of Pathobiology and Microbiology, School of Veterinary Medicine; Lab Head, Infectious Diseases & Immunology
  • Misha Rosenbach, Associate Professor of Dermatology in Medicine; Associate Professor of Dermatology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, PSOM
  • Daniel Hammer, Alfred G. and Meta A. Ennis Professor of Bioengineering and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, SEAS
  • Sharon Thompson-Schill, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Psychology; Department Chair; Co-Director, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, SAS
  • Joan Gluch, Associate Dean, Academic Policies; Division Chief and Professor of Clinical Community Oral Health, School of Dental Medicine
  • Felicity Paxton, Lecturer at the Annenberg School for Communication and the School of Arts and Sciences; Director, Penn Women’s Center
2017 Award Recipients
  • David Christianson (Chemistry, SAS)
  • Sanjeev Khanna (CIS, SEAS)
  • Beth Linker (History & Sociology of Science, SAS)
  • Alejandro Ribeiro (Electrical & Systems Engineering, SEAS)
  • Mary Beth Callan (SOVM)
  • Jennifer Kogan (Medicine, PSOM)
  • Muralidhar Mupparapu (Oral Medicine, SDM)
  • Frank Silvestry (Medicine, PSOM)
  • Madeleine Joullie
  • George Pappas
  • Lorene Cary
  • Susan Renz
2016 Award Recipients
  • Karen Detlefsen, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Education in the School of Arts & Sciences
  • Joshua R. Klein, Professor of Physics in the School of Arts & Sciences
  • Emily R. Steiner, Professor of English in the School of Arts & Sciences
  • Daniel Swingley, Professor of Psychology in the School of Arts & Sciences
  • Lee A. Fleisher, Robert Dunning Dripps Professor of Anesthesia in the Perelman School of Medicine
  • Ellen J. Kim, Sandra J. Lazarus Associate Professor of Dermatology in the Perelman School of Medicine
  • Robert P. Ricciardi, Professor of Microbiology in the School of Dental Medicine
  • Billy I. Smith, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Field Service, in the School of Veterinary Medicine
  • Dianne L. Chambless, Professor of Psychology in the School of Arts & Sciences
  • Daniel K. Richter, Roy F. and Jeannette P. Nichols Professor of American History in the School of Arts & Sciences
  • Marcia Ferguson, Senior Lecturer and Director of Theatre Arts in the School of Arts & Sciences
  • James Treat, Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Dermatology in the Perelman School of Medicine
2015 Award Recipients
  • Brian Bushee, Gilbert, and Shelley Harrison, Professor of Accounting in the Wharton School
  • Robert Ghrist, Andrea Mitchell University Professor
  • Masao Sako, Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy in the School of Arts & Sciences
  • Amy Wax, Robert Mundheim Professor of Law in the Law School
  • Cynthia A. Connolly, Associate Professor of Nursing in the School of Nursing
  • Olena Jacenko, Professor of Biochemistry and Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Diversity in the School of Veterinary Medicine
  • James D. Lewis, Associate Professor of Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine
  • Paul A. Offit, Professor of Pediatrics in the Perelman School of Medicine
  • Robert DeRubeis, Samuel H. Preston Term Professor in the Social Sciences and Professor of Psychology in the School of Arts & Sciences
  • Marybeth Gasman, Professor of Higher Education in the Graduate School of Education
  • Melissa Hunt, Associate Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology of the School of Arts & Sciences
  • Beth Hogan Quigley, Senior Lecturer in the School of Nursing
2014 Award Recipients
  • Charles Kane, Class of 1965 Professor of Physics in the School of Arts & Sciences
  • Katherine Kuchenbecker, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics in the School of Engineering & Applied Science
  • Heather Love, R. Jean Brownlee Associate Professor of English in the School of Arts & Sciences
  • Philip Rea, Professor of Biology in the School of Arts & Sciences and Belldegrum Distinguished Director of the Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management
  • Lisa Bellini, Professor of Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine
  • Grant Liu, Professor of Neurology and Ophthalmology in the Perelman School of Medicine
  • Rose Nolen-Walston, Assistant Professor-Clinician Educator in the School of Veterinary Medicine
  • Barbara Riegel, Edith Clemmer Steinbright Professor of Gerontology in the School of Nursing
  • Russell Composto, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science
  • Rogers Smith, Christopher H. Browne Professor of Political Science in the School of Arts & Sciences
  • Amy Jordan, Adjunct Professor of Communication in the Annenberg School for Communication
  • Richard Summers, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Co-Director of the Residency Training Program in the Perelman School of Medicine